A United Airlines Boeing 777 is readied for departure to Honolulu from gate F11 as another plane taxis to the runway at SFO in San Francisco, Calif. A passenger aboard a United flight that nosedived after taking off from Maui recounted the harrowing experience.
Paul Chinn/The ChronicleKenneth Raymond expected a bumpy ride when he and his wifeboarded United Airlines flight 1722 from Maui to San Franciscoon Dec. 18, as rain and wind lashed the runway at Kahului Airport.
But nothing prepared Raymond for the sudden, stomach-churning drop he felt roughly a minute after takeoff, like being trapped in an elevator that had fallen several floors.
“It happened so fast that I thought, ‘Could this be it?’ ” the 81-year-old, semi-retired UC Berkeley chemistry professor said, recalling his fleeting fear of death as the aircraft plunged.
He had been staring at whitecaps on the Pacific Ocean from a window seat in Row 17, watching them recede as the plane ascended to 2,200 feet. Then, in a split second, he felt the tumbling sensation and saw the ocean pressing in. Flight data released a month later showed the plane had plummeted to within 775 feet of the water’s surface.
“It was a bigger drop than I have ever experienced on an airplane,” said Raymond, who flies to Maui with his wife nearly every year “to cure the winter blues.”
The pilot quickly recovered and did not communicate with passengers until five to 10 minutes after the incident, at which point Raymond heard an announcement over the Intercom.
“You probably felt some extra” G-force, he remembered the voice saying. “It’s nothing to be alarmed about.”
In Raymond’s memory, nobody screamed when the plane fell, though the seatbelt sign stayed on longer than usual, and a flight attendant sitting across the aisle looked startled, but stayed composed.
When he later spoke to the attendant, Raymond learned the crew would have to linger at the airport for at least an hour to be interviewed by representatives of the Association of Flight Attendants, “because of the incident.”
United Airlines officials said in a statement this week that an investigation “ultimately resulted in the pilots receiving additional training.” The National Transportation Board Safety Board said Tuesday that it had launched a separate probe.
Flight UA1722 landed safely at San Francisco International Airport, where the pilots filed a safety report, according to the airline.
Reach Rachel Swan: rswan@sfchronicle.com
